"My First Coup D'état" (John D. Mahama, President of Ghana)
I've been reading this book for about a month now. I like the fact that Mahama writes. He's not an incredible Achebe/Adichie/Atukwei/Wa'Thiongo. He's historical. He's simple, but most importantly, clear. I like the way he weaves the stories of his life into the fabric of the times he lived in. Every chapter is symbolic. Here are a couple of things i'd like to share below:
The "Lost Decades": "I suspect that Africa, as the mother of humankind, has always been and will always be something of an enigma...the key to that mystery must be somewhere in our stories...in the story of its people, its paradoxical simplicity and complexity of our lives"(5).
My First Coup D'état: War is ugly and often has an irreversible, unspeakable effect on a country (and the people within)'s future.
The District Commissioner's Hat: A swat at the air and a hit at anything at all (Paraphrased). If only we'd come to see the 'obroni' as equally human as ourselves, our response would be as natural and un-calculated as it really should be.
Of Silence and Solidarity: Never sit back allow yourself to be "spat on". You have rights and if no one would fight for them, you should. "Ut Umnez Unum Sint" (41). That All May be One.
Wild Lions and Little Boys with Catapults: "It is tempting for us as humans to to believe that we are superior to all other creatures and, as such, have the right to dominate them if and when we so choose"(58)
Full Moon Dance: Madness is just a different kind of normal, that neither deserves our stigma nor our contempt.
How I got my Christian name: Hold on to culture, but more so to faith. Our faith gives us room to question cultural beliefs, and where the two fall into discord, give faith the upper-hand. "It's our culture" is barely a valid excuse.
Sankofa: "Se wo were fi na wosankofa, yenkyi" (110), a Ghanaian proverb that translates to "if you have forgotten and you go back and get it, it is not a taboo". Home calls, and it's never too late to respond to the call.
Teenagers in Tamale: In the season of politics and song, "One day you're up, but the next you might be down". Change, although awfully scary, is inevitable.
Frozen Fire: Two heads, or in the case of Taka, Tika and Gangale three heads, are ALWAYS better than one. There is strength in our numbers.
Praise for the Powerful: "When the applause is loudest, remember to leave" (167) or risk getting swallowed up in your complacency and reversing the very feats that won you applause in the first place.
Union Government: When you step on a people's toes for long enough, i bet you, they will soon bite back. And it will not be pleasant.
Truth Stands:"...and he that will reach her, about must and about must go, and what the hill's suddenness resists, win so" (202)
Perilous Crossings: In the hands of many at the top, power is like a toy to be played around with and explored, often to the detriment of the innocent. Honestly, "when the applause is loudest, REMEMBER to leave."
Ghana Must Go: The hilarious origins of this statement and the fact that leaving is almost never the solution to the problems at home.
Providence: Everyone should be a better communicator.
Tovarisch: Our philosophies are always questioned in the environment of the exact opposite.
CODA: Return of hope...Anaa? An 'anaa?', 'is that not so?', or invitation for doubt, for a contradictory opinion is ALWAYS welcome.
*There's plenty to learn from and enjoy about this book.
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